The basics
Who is Jesus?
Christianity stands or falls on one person. To understand the Christian faith, the best place to start is with Jesus himself.
A real person in history
Jesus was a Jewish man who lived about two thousand years ago, in a land then ruled by the Roman Empire. He was born in Bethlehem, grew up in the town of Nazareth in Galilee and worked as a carpenter. At around the age of thirty he began travelling from place to place, teaching, healing the sick and gathering followers. About three years later he was crucified in Jerusalem under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
Our main sources for his life are the four Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all written within the lifetime of people who had known him. Writers who were not Christians mention him too. The Roman historian Tacitus records that he was executed under Pontius Pilate. The Jewish historian Josephus refers to him. And around AD 112 the Roman governor Pliny reported to the emperor that Christians met before dawn to sing hymns to Christ “as to a god”. Hardly any historian doubts that Jesus existed. The question is who he was.
What he taught
Jesus announced that God’s kingdom, his good rule over the world, was arriving, and he called people to respond.
The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.
He taught people to love God with their whole heart and to love their neighbours as themselves, including their enemies. He welcomed people whom others avoided, and he said he had come for those who knew they needed help.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
What he did
The Gospels record that Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed thousands and even raised the dead. These acts were never done for show. They were done out of compassion, and as signs of who he was and of the restored world that God’s kingdom would bring. When he calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee with a word, his disciples asked the question that the whole of each Gospel is written to answer:
They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
What he claimed about himself
Jesus was more than a moral teacher, and he did not present himself as one. He claimed the authority to forgive sins, which his hearers knew belonged to God alone. He said that he would rise from the dead, and that people’s response to him would decide where they stood with God.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
Claims like these don’t leave much room for seeing Jesus as simply a good man. Either they are false or they are true. Christians have become convinced that they are true: that Jesus is the Son of God, who became one of us. Read more: is Jesus God?
“Who do you say that I am?”
Jesus once put the question directly to his closest followers.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The titles Christians give to Jesus each say something about him.
- Christ, or Messiah, is not a surname. It means “anointed one”: the king God had promised for centuries to send.
- Son of God means that he shares the nature of God the Father.
- Lord means that he has the right to rule, and to be obeyed.
- Saviour means that he rescues people from sin and death.
His death and resurrection
Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified. He had told his followers beforehand that this would happen and that it was the reason he had come: to give his life for others. Read more about why Jesus died.
For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Three days later his tomb was empty, and his followers began to report that they had seen him alive. They went on saying so for the rest of their lives, often at great cost. Read more about the resurrection.
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Jesus today
Christians do not think of Jesus as a figure from the past. They believe he is alive, that he hears those who call on him, and that his invitation still stands for anyone who will accept it.
Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
Find out for yourself
The best way to form your own view of Jesus is to read one of the Gospels. Mark’s is the shortest, and you can read it in an evening or two. How to start reading the Bible.